Hiking

Northern California's beautiful in any light, but it's hard to beat the glow of a great big silvery moon for ambience. This August, the moon will reach the closest point in its orbit of the Earth, giving us the eye-popping spectacle of an extra-large "super moon." Not in our lovely neck of the woods on August 10th this year?

Living in San Francisco, we hear it all the time: good-natured ribbing about the nearly 50 hills this city's built on; griping about the hamstrings of steel one has to develop to get around SF on foot; literal huffing and puffing at the top of Lombard or Fillmore Street. As much as the hills are an iconic part of our fair city, after a while, it can be tempting to swear off any walking route that takes you up an incline.

It's easy to get lost sometimes in San Francisco's urban center: between all the skyscrapers, the traffic, the cultural offerings, and the endless options for nightlife, we can all get caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life.

As any budget-conscious traveler knows, some of the best things to do in a new place are free -- and a nice view is certainly at the top of the list! Since San Francisco is a city of hills, there are great views to be found everywhere, especially at the top of some 300+ public stairways. For the vista-hungry spectator who isn't afraid of an incline, this list of San Francisco's most scenic stairways will guide you on an epic adventure.

The Embarcadero, San Francisco's scenic eastern waterfront, holds some of the city's most well known attractions as well as some wonderful hidden spots in between. One Saturday afternoon, I set out on the Embarcadero's pedestrian walkway to see what I could discover on the path from the Ferry Building to the San Francisco Giant's AT&T Park.